The Writing on the Walls
by LeonaWriter
Summary: A series of ficlets where the Signers grew up inside the Walls of the Shingeki no Kyojin world. The first warning of the Dark Signers that they'd ever had was the writing on the walls. A sign, as it were, of things to come. Then came what would become known as the Black Titans. Rated for SnK levels of gore (implied and not) and violence.
1. The Shinigami of Shiganshina

They called him the 'Shinigami of Shiganshina'. Because that was where he was from, regardless of wherever he might choose to return to.

Because he'd fought off death so many times, there were starting to be whispers that death itself was afraid to claim him, who had emerged from one of the, as the populace had deemed to call them, 'Black Titans'.

He'd hardly say a word, to anyone, not even his own commanding officers, unless he had to. He'd simply stare ahead as though he wasn't even seeing anyone there, the only sign that they'd been acknowledged being a possible tilt of the head, a shake or nod.

And on the field, in battle… his movements were precise, effective, economic, and deadly. Titan after Titan killed, although many who were in his team - those who came for a while and pulled out, who saw what action in the Scouting Legion was like and had decided it wasn't for them - they said, that it was almost as though Kiryu didn't care if the Titans ate him.

They'd whisper that it was similar to others they'd heard of - that cadet, Eren, wasn't it? The one who only wanted to kill Titans. Except that this Kiryu didn't have anything else. Like that Mikasa, who was a skilled genius, but even she had something other than Titan-slaying.

Because of this, Kiryu was almost a wild card - he worked best on his own, but teamwork wasn't unfamiliar territory for him. Yet no one knew if one day his time would come, and death would decide, 'that's it, I'll take him today'. That one day, he'd simply not be there.

Except that then one night while they were at barracks, he was taken forcibly from his bed, and disappeared for several days. The rest of his squad asked questions, but the captain, who seemed to be the only one in the know, wouldn't give any answers.

Kiryu would reappear looking much like he'd been brought back from that dead state, but although he began talking to the others more, he wouldn't explain what had happened - apart from that 'a friend reminded him what 'satisfaction' was', which left them just as confused as before.

From then on, he'd occasionally vanish while they were inside the walls. He'd always be back in time, though, for meals, for lights out, for briefings.

He couldn't keep his new lease of life a secret forever, though, and soon they discovered him writing a letter - entitled to two people, 'Nico', and 'West'.

When asked, he said that he was helping to provide for them, ever since one of the Black Titans had eaten their father, some years after one of the 'normal' ones had done the same to their mother after the felling of the Wall Maria.

And then they'd remember who he was, and how he'd come to them, and they would look away, understanding now the reason behind the tears that stained his cheeks when he woke up, and the splotches of wet ink on the paper.

...

AN: Saying right here before anyone says anything about it - they Dark Signers/Earthbound called 'Black Titans' because... they're black. Seriously, go look at any Earthbound Immortal card, and _that is what they look like in the AU._


	2. The Writing on the Walls

It started with the writing on the walls.

Writing that was in red, as though someone had found a large supply of paint and then some oversized brushes, and illegally appropriated 3D Maneuver gear - because the Military had checked out all of the soldiers, and none of them had used their gear outside of when they'd been ordered to.

_WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU, _the writing said.

And when they sent people up to clean it off, they realised that it wasn't written in paint, but in blood.

Someone… some sick, crazy person, had gone up on the walls, risked retribution from the people, the Military Police, and the Wall Cult. And more than that - they'd gotten away with it.

Because even weeks later, no one had been able to figure out who had done it, or even how.

They'd even tried to figure out who it was from the way the words were put together, the fine details - if they could be called that - of the writing itself.

No one had had any luck.

And now… five years after the Colossal had breached the Wall Maria… mere _months_ after it had reappeared at the Wall Rose…

_WE ARE DONE WAITING, _the writing had said the night before, still there the next day despite their best efforts to clean it off.

'Done waiting' for what, most wondered. Who were the ones waiting, as they were definitely more than one person, and who were they waiting for?

Were they all going to die because of one person, who hadn't owned up, who hadn't given themself up like a lamb to the slaughter? If it was so, then most of the populace wished that they had, not caring what kind of person it was as long as they did their duty for the good of mankind.

Yuusei had heard the news, and seen the defacement for himself, both of them, and Crow with him, both of them being in the Cadets at the time.

Rua and Ruka, from the inner Wall Shina, heard whispers on the streets that there was some trouble in the wall Rose, but nothing more, enough to worry over but not enough to have any sort of real understanding.

Aki, already graduated and serving in a special branch of the Garrison with the roses on the back of her jacket, looked out of her window, narrowed her eyes, and thought little of it. Humanity would do as humanity did, no matter the goal they attempted to unite against. The world was as cruel as it was beautiful, and just as many who deserved to die as those who did not, would. No one was innocent.

Far off, in the main castles of Shina, Jack overheard Commander Dot Pixis relaying the information to Rex Godwin, and more or less ignored it - fighting back the odd, heady feeling that came with knowing what had happened the first time any of the walls had been breached.

Death. Chaos. Destruction.

He'd been there, and he'd been taken from it. That life was no longer his, regardless that he wore a soldier's uniform - he also wore the emblem of the unicorn on his back, the flag of those serving in the Military Police, closest to the king.

No longer would he need to face titans. No longer would he need to feel that core-shaking _fear_. Jack Atlas, he told himself over and over and over again, felt no fear. He put on displays to the upper-class citizens, showed them just how the 3D maneuver gear worked, and how good the soldiers looked when they used it.

Then, the night after the writing appeared on the wall for the second time, the Earth trembled.

A giant - a Titan, one of enormous size - stood inside of the Wall Rose.

It didn't look much like any other Titan that anyone had ever seen, jet-black and covered in blue markings. Yet hundreds of residents had disappeared from the area just before it had made its arrival known, and many more would continue to die as they discovered that while it might seem to have no mouth…

As they screamed and ran while the Garrisons were still deploying, they would find out that they were entirely wrong, with first a slit appearing from one side to the other of its face, and then teeth, rows and rows of teeth.

The inhuman Black Titans had begun their rampage.

And as soon as it began, it disappeared, leaving behind no trace. No trace other than the death, the destruction, the many piled bodies that would need to be burnt, and Fudo Yuusei lying in hospital, barely alive.

And the next morning, more writing would appear on the walls, causing despair untold.

_COME. SATISFY ME WITH YOUR DESPAIR IN THIS HELL._

...

AN: Kiryu (yes that is him doing that) you should really put your artistic abilities to better use in other ways.


End file.
